Backwoods Barbie Tour
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The Backwoods Barbie Tour was the ninth headlining concert tour by American recording artist,
Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
. Visiting the United States, Northern Europe and Canada, the tour supported her 42nd studio album, '' Backwoods Barbie''. The tour was well received by critics and spectators alike, earning more than nine million dollars in 2008. The European leg of the tour was the most successful outing of Parton's touring history, performing for 170,000 spectators in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands. The tour was expected to reach Australia as well but this did not come to fruition.


Background

After completing her previous trek, Parton focused on the upcoming musical '' 9 to 5: The Musical'' and recording her next album. The singer also started her own
independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
after being told she was "too old" for mainstream music. While promoting the song, " Better Get to Livin'", Parton announced her upcoming tour. The first dates revealed in Los Angeles, New York City and Chicago served as rehearsal shows before Parton played in
arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
s, theatres,
amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...
s and
stadium A stadium ( : stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand o ...
s in North America and Northern Europe. The tour was set to run from February to June, however, it was expanded several times to meet public demand. To introduce the tour, Parton remarked:
"I had this product that I wanted to sell. It was my performing. I try to think of it as the music business, and you can't just throw it out to anyone and then move on to a new product. So I got involved. God created me, but he gave me the go-ahead to do what I could with it."
Before the tour began, Parton positioned the first round of dates in the United States due to back issues. The singer poked fun at her condition saying, "I know I have been breaking my neck and bending over backwards trying to get my new 'Backwoods Barbie' CD and world tour together, but I didn't mean to hurt myself doing it, But hey, you try wagging these puppies around a while and see if you don't have back problems. Seriously though, the doctors said I will be good as new in a few weeks, and I can't wait to get back out there." The tour began in March instead of early February. After her rehearsal dates, the tour officially commenced on April 22, 2008, at the
Benedum Center for the Performing Arts The Benedum Center for the Performing Arts (formerly the Stanley Theatre) is a theater and concert hall located at 237 7th Street in the Cultural District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Designed by the Philadelphia architectural firm Hoffman-Hen ...
in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
.


Death rumor

After Parton finished her European leg, rumors circulated the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
of her death. It was believed this rumor began at a high school football game (in
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
) as the crowd gave a
moment of silence A moment of silence (also referred to as a minute's silence or a one-minute silence) is a period of silent contemplation, prayer, reflection, or meditation. Similar to flying a flag at half-mast, a moment of silence is often a gesture of ...
for her death. FOX News later reported the singer died in early August of
congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
at the Fort Sanders Sevier Medical Center. Parton and her manager dispelled this rumor, stating the singer was "alive and well", although Parton joked she nearly had a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
upon hearing the news of her death, but laughed it off.


Critical reception

Overall, the majority of feedback from music critics was favorable for the tour. Ben Ratliff ''(
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
)'' describes Parton's performance at the
Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Nicknamed "The Showplac ...
as nothing short of uplifting. He further comments, Between the songs and her nonstop patter — she is an assassin of dead air — the show was a seminar on the peril of accepting received wisdom, whether the subject was drag queens, the rural poor, working stiffs, politicians, Pentecostalists, young media stars or bosomy women. She granted pretty much everybody a complex interior life, and the power of independent thought. For the same concert, Mandi Bierly ''(
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
)'' felt the highlight of the show was Parton's banter. She elaborates, "I never leave a rhinestone unturned", she said, heading to her studded white piano. And, as the headline states, she's got the best stage banter in the business. She's sufficiently quippy, but also shares her life story. After the jump, some of her greatest hits. During the European leg, the reviews commended Parton's stage personality and interaction with the audience. Edwin McFee ''(
The Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant pop ...
)'' thought Parton's concert at the
Odyssey Arena The Odyssey Complex, formerly Odyssey Centre, is a sports and entertainment complex located within the Titanic Quarter in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The complex originated in 1992 and came into fruition in June 1998. It opened in December 20 ...
proved her star power. He pens, She sings, she dances, she plays no less than six musical instruments and she also tells us stories of her childhood as if we were the first ones to hear them, though Dolly fanatics have probably heard them a million times before. At times it was actually quite surreal listening to evergreen anthems such as Jolene performed with as much passion as if they were recorded only yesterday, and in many ways her show was a masterclass in traditional old school musical theatre. David Sinclair ''(
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
)'' found the concert at the
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre The SEC Centre (originally known as the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre until 2017) is Scotland's largest exhibition centre, located ...
to be "all about the music". He writes, But, in the end, it all came back to the songs. Here she insisted was where the essence of her personality could always be found. 'I might look artificial/ But where it counts I'm real,' she sang in the title track of Backwoods Barbie. And in a funny way, she is. Madeleine Brindley ''( Western Mail)'' believes Parton's concert at the
Cardiff International Arena Cardiff International Arena (formerly known as Cardiff International Arena & Convention Centre and later, for sponsorship reasons, Motorpoint Arena Cardiff) is an indoor exhibition centre and events arena located in Cardiff, Wales, and was open ...
proved her to be the first lady of country and western the world over. Brindley explains, As last night amply demonstrated Dolly has lost none of her songwriting, or story-telling talents, as almost every number was prefaced by a short story, which gave us the tiniest of glimpses into the thought process which drives this diminutive star. David Smyth ''(
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
)'' gave the concert at The O2 Arena four out of five stars. Smyth stated, Tracks representing the jolly country pop of her latest album, the knowingly titled Backwoods Barbie, fitted in well, especially the man-baiting 'Shinola'. It was only when she stopped the gabbing and rolled out hits in quick succession that the crowd rose to its feet and remained there. 'Here You Come Again', 'Islands In The Stream', '9 To 5' and the biggest of the big ballads, 'I Will Always Love You', confirmed that while she weaves a good yarn, it's when Dolly Parton sings that she's really on song. Returning to the United States, the praise for the tour continued.
Annie Zaleski Annie Zaleski is an American music journalist and author. Career Zaleski is a regular writer for mainstream media outlets such as The A.V. Club and NPR Music, and a columnist at ''Salon''. She is based in Cleveland, Ohio where she has won firs ...
''(
Riverfront Times The ''Riverfront Times'' (''RFT'') is a free progressive weekly newspaper in St. Louis, in the U.S. state of Missouri, that consists of local politics, music, arts, and dining news in the print edition, and daily updates to blogs and photo galler ...
)'' writes the performance at the Fabulous Fox Theatre was charming, meeting all expectations. She continues, Also fantastic was the ease with which she transitioned from such seemingly different instruments—all of which were white and covered in rhinestones. For "Thank God I’m a Country Girl", she flew through fiddle, banjo, and harmonica, all feverishly supplied by her "useful and ornamental" hick Chippendale (Steve Summers) who dosey-doed in shirtless abandon in overalls nearby. Evan Rytlewski ''(
Shepherd Express The ''Shepherd Express'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. History The paper originated in May 1982 as the ''Crazy Shepherd'', its name derived from a line in Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3 ...
)'' wrote of Parton's stage persona at her concert at the Riverside Theater, "Parton's hokey facade is a remnant of the old Las Vegas/Grand Ole Opry era of entertainment, and it still dominates her concerts. She spent nearly as much of her performance Monday night sharing stories and cracking jokes as she did singing, proving herself quite the comedian. At 62, she's part-grandmother (she riffed on her poor eyesight and mortality), part-cougar (she ogled a dancing beefcake), and her sharp quips had the audience roaring with laughter."


Set list

This set list is representative of the August 14 show in West Hollywood, California. It is not representative of all concerts for the duration of the tour #" Two Doors Down" #" Why'd You Come in Here Lookin' Like That" #" Jolene" #"Thank God I'm a Country Girl" #"I'm Little, But I'm Loud" #"Backwoods Barbie" #"
White Limozeen ''White Limozeen'' is the twenty-ninth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on May 30, 1989, by Columbia Records. The album returned the performer to the country music fold, after the critical and commercial fa ...
" #"Drives Me Crazy" #Shattered Image" #"
Coat of Many Colors In the Hebrew Bible, the coat of many colors ( he, כְּתֹנֶת פַּסִּים, ketonet passim) is the name for the garment that Joseph (Hebrew Bible), Joseph owned, which was given to him by his father, Jacob. Biblical narrative Joseph' ...
" #"Only Dreamin'" #Gospel Medley: "
Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show ''Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Neil Diamond, released in 1969. Four months after the title cut became a #22 hit, Diamond recorded and released a new single, " Sweet Caroline", ...
" / "I'll Fly Away" / "
When the Saints Go Marching In "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn and is often played by jazz bands. This song was famously recorded on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstron ...
" / "Old Time Religion" / "Calm on the Water" / "Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man" #"
Baby I'm Burnin' "Baby I'm Burnin'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was written by Parton who also produced the track with Gary Klein and Charles Koppelman who served as executive producer. The song was first released on Parton's twentiet ...
" #" Better Get to Livin'" #"Shinola" #"The Grass Is Blue" #"
Great Balls of Fire "Great Balls of Fire" is a 1957 popular song recorded by American rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis on Sun Records and featured in the 1957 movie '' Jamboree''. It was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer. The Jerry Lee Lewis 1957 reco ...
" #"Puppy Love" #"Little Sparrow" #"
Here You Come Again ''Here You Come Again'' is the nineteenth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on October 3, 1977, by RCA Victor. It was Parton's first album to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping a mil ...
" #" Islands in the Stream" #"
9 to 5 Working(laboring) time is the period of time that a person spends at paid Wage labour, labor. Unpaid work, Unpaid labor such as personal housework or caring for children or pets is not considered part of the working week. Many countries regula ...
" #"
I Will Always Love You "I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, ...
" ;Encore #
  • "He's Alive" #
  • Jesus and Gravity"


    Broadcasts and recordings

    The concerts at The O2 Arena in London were filmed for a concert special and DVD release. The concert special, "Dolly: Live in London O2 Arena", aired on
    PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
    in conduction with their summer pledge drive. The concert was later released as a CD/DVD package titled, "Dolly: Live from London". Parton released the live version of "
    Here You Come Again ''Here You Come Again'' is the nineteenth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on October 3, 1977, by RCA Victor. It was Parton's first album to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping a mil ...
    " to promote the package. In 2011, the concert was reissued exclusively to Cracker Barrel stores as ''An Evening With Dolly Parton.'' The DVD remains unchanged and contains all of the material from the original release. The CD removes most of the songs from the ''Backwoods Barbie'' album with the exception of "Only Dreamin'", but adds two bonus unreleased live tracks, "Shattered Image" and "My Tennessee Mountain Home." In stark contrast to the original release, which charted as an album on the Billboard 200 at #195 and sold poorly, ''An Evening With Dolly Parton'' reached #2 on the Billboard Music Video Charts and eventually sold well enough to receive a Gold Music Video certification from the
    RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
    for shipments of over 50,000 copies.


    Tour dates


    Cancelled shows


    Box office score data


    Notes


    References


    External links


    Parton's Official WebsiteParton's Official FacebookParton's Official MyspaceParton's Official YouTube pageParton's Official Twitter
    {{Dolly Parton Dolly Parton concert tours 2008 concert tours